The Ocean's Treasure
by DenasiaIchigo
Summary: The worlds of the humans and merpeople have never crossed before. Yet once these two worlds cross, what will come of it? War or love? Will these people find their heart's treasure in the ocean or will they go down in it? (Mermaid AU and includes: GaLe, NaLu, Gruvia, Jerza, Everman, and Miried)
1. The Humans

**A/N: I don't own Fairy Tail. Hiro Mashima does.**

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It wasn't that far into the day. It might have been a little after seven a.m. The four princes and one princess of the vast kingdom known as Magnolia were sitting in a battle meeting with all of Magnolia's best generals and lieutenants to discuss battle plans. There had been a high amount of battles lately, and King Igneel didn't really know any other way to solve the kingdoms' disagreements besides fighting. The four male royals enjoyed to test their magic's strength, so they frequently started useless fights between themselves and other royals that resided close by. The reason they never fought any commoners wasn't because they thought that they were weak. It was just because only royals held the ability to cast magic. It ran in their blood, and no one had ever married a non royal in the Magnolia royalty.

Some unknowing people would feel bad for their princess since she has such rambunctious brothers. However, they were unaware of her other side. The people that knew of this side gave her the nickname: The Demon Princess. No one obviously called her this or refered to her as this in her presence, most in fear of what she might do to them.

Back at the young royals' meeting, it was stuffy and uncomfortable. Princess Mirajane was at least attempting to pay attention to what the generals and lieutenants were trying to tell them. The princes, however, were bored out of their minds. Princes Natsu was playing with some of his flames that he had conjured; Prince Gray was creating things with his ice magic; Prince Gajeel was snacking on some scrap metal pieces he had brought with him; and Prince Elfman was mumbling about how unmanly meetings were. They sat there for what seemed to them as a decade or more which was actually only three hours.

Once they had finally been released from their self proclaimed torture, they all headed back to their bed chambers in the castle. Before they could go to the shore, they had to get dressed properly. They all loved to go out to the shore that was out in the back of the castle. They didn't have to have guards to watch them, and the water reminded them of the times that their mother, Queen Grandeeny, had taken them to the ocean while she was alive, and while they were children.

They had all arrived at the shore not much longer after they had left their meeting, all eager to feel the cool water on their skin. The day was bright and beautiful. The ocean was a wonderfully vibrant shade of blue. The sky seemed to be just the slightest bit lighter in shade than the water and was completely cloudless. The day seemed to be just perfect.

"Hey, Ice Head! I'll race you out to those rocks!" Natsu yelled to his brother.

"You're on!" Gray answered.

"Don't forget about me!" Gajeel interceded, running after Natsu and Gray.

"It's not manly to not include me!" Elfman exclaimed, attempting to catch up to his three brothers.

They all started swimming in the water, the race beginning. Mira giggled to herself as she watched her brothers compete. She walked patiently to the shallow end of the water, standing and waiting for them to come back. It was customary for her to be their referee, as all four of them usually competed together. As she saw them all turned around and heading towards the shore, she readied herself to be able to tell who the honest winner was. She stood off to the side, watching her brothers making their way back to the shore as fast as they can, using their magic to aid them in the process.

They were so close that Mira was just staring at the shoreline between the water and the sand. Her brothers all came pretty close, but surprisingly Gajeel was first with the other three close behind but all tied with each other. She delivered the results to them. Gajeel celebrated while the other three grunted and complained about how they didn't end up as the victor.

That afternoon, all they did was hold contests between the four of them with Mira being the referee. At the end of the day, they had all gotten tied up at five wins for each person. They were about to begin a final tie breaker, but King Igneel had come down to the beach.

"Children," he started as to catch their attention, "I came down here to personally bring you up for your dinner." He waved for them to walk up the beach, back to the castle.

They all trudged back up to their castle, upset for their free time to have ended. They enjoyed their time off from their royal duties since their duties bored them so much.

"Come," he told them, meaning for them to walk faster, "I have some people I would like you to meet."

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**A/N: I hope you guys like my new story ^^ The next chapter should be up in two or three days. I hope you guys will enjoy this story and be patient with me. I'm hoping to make the next chapters longer. Thanks :)**


	2. The Merpeople

It was midafternoon, and these royals had nothing to do. Their ruler, King Markarov, had left to meet with his advisors. The kingdom of Fiore had recently had a citizen come into the royal palace to tell the king about humans. Apparently, some had swam near Fiore. The king didn't want the humans to know about their existance to keep his people safe. The humans didn't need to know about the existance of the merpeople. He just wanted his people to be safe.

These royals all sat together in one room of their castle. They were doing their own activity. Princess Lucy was writing her story that no one was allowed to read until it was done; Princess Levy was reading her third book of the day, with it being a horror novel; Princess Evergreen was was reading her own book, a racy novel that her sister, Erza, had let her borrow; Princess Juvia was making a teru-teru bozu doll, making it around her fifth doll that day; and Prince Fried was sharpening and shining his rapier. Princess Erza was out with her boyfriend that only her siblings knew about. She was dating the infamous, wanted criminal, Jellal Fernandes. He was wanted for something he didn't do. Therefore, he was framed.

Anyway, while the five single royals were engaged in their own activities, they were also partially thinking about how they wish that they had love like their sister, Erza. They all knew that she would make an excellent queen one day along with Jellal as her king. She was the oldest anyway. All four of the princesses and the one prince were in their late teens, yet they hadn't dated anyone in their whole lives. They were alone and so desperately wanted someone to love them and for them to love them for who they are not what status they held.

They were all deep in thought when they heard the trumpets being played at the front gates of the castle. Their father had returned. Levy and Lucy had gotten up to see their father through the window in the room where they resided in at the present moment. Their father was greeted at the gate immediately by their mother, Queen Porlyusica. She never really showed emotion except to her family, and even that was rare. She was a very stoic woman that never liked to show weakness.

"Is it father?" Juvia asked her sisters, with a stoic look on her face. Juvia had gotten her closed feelings from her mother but would show them every once in a while.

"Yes. He has returned from his meeting." Levy replied happily.

"That's good. Maybe he'll let us leave the castle for a while, so that we're not doing the same old thing everyday." Fried joked, with a chuckle at the end.

They all filed out of the small room to meet with their father at the front gates of the castle. They swam all together as they went through the halls of the castle. When they got down to the front gate, they all greeted their father.

"Hello, father," they all said, one at a time.

"Hello, children," he replied, in return.

"Father," Evergreen called his attention. The king turned to his second oldest daughter and nodded to her, signalling her to continue, "I have been wondering this for a while but never managed to get the chance to ask you."

"Get on with it," he told her in a calm yet slightly forceful tone.

"Can we, by that I mean my present siblings and myself, go up to the surface to see what the human world is like? I've always wanted to know what it's like to walk on two legs and see how the humans live and interact."

Markarov looked stunned for a moment. He hadn't expected his daughter to be so upfront about asking to going up and into the human world. It just took him back and surprised him. Markarov stood there for a moment, thinking over the idea. He wanted his children to be safe, but he knew that he couldn't keep them cooped up in this castle for their entire lives.

He cleared his voice, catching his children's attention. They all turned their attention towards their father. "Now that I've had a moment to think, I suppose I could let you go visit the human world. I will only allow one day, but that should be enough to explore the closest port town."

All five of the young royals suddenly erupted with joy and celebrated the fact that they were allowed to go up past the surface of the water. They all rushed off to their own rooms to start packing the things they saw fit as necessities.

"Are you sure you're okay with this?" the queen asked her husband. She hadn't been by his side during the conversation, but she watched from close by and listened to what they were discussing.

"It's fine. I'm just nervous about their safety among the humans. Before I grant them human legs, I have to remind them to not speak of Fiore. They could endanger everyone's lives."

"I'm sure everyone will be fine." Porlyusica told her husband.

"I sure hope so." he told his queen with worry and nervousness in his voice.

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**A/N: Here's the next chapter ^^ I finished it fast than I thought I was going to... I just hope you guys like it ^^; Also, the next chapter...dun..dun...DUN! Sorry ^^; I'm just going to enjoy writing the next chapter. :) Hope you enjoyed it ^^**


	3. In Town Part 1

All of the royals had gone straight to their bed chambers as soon as the king had told them that he was allowing them to see the human world. It excited them to the point of no words. They just couldn't wait. All five of them had wanted this for years, too many years to count or keep track of, but none of them had had the courage to ask their father. The surface world had just interested them and taken their imagination away to all of the wonderous possibilities that this mysterious world could hold.

After they had gotten the necessary items packed, they all came down to main hall of the castle to all meet up with their father. He stood patiently, with a very calm look on his face. Moments had passed, and Levy, Lucy, Juvia, Evergreen, and Fried had gathered back together, ready to head up to the surface. They each held a bag or suitcase that corresponded with their tail color. Levy held an tangerine colored bag, which looked more like a purse; Lucy held a cherry blossom pink **(look it up if you're confused)** bag that looked pretty heavy; Juvia held a dark jean bag that hung from her shoulder at her side; Evergreen pulled a lime green suitcase behind her; and Fried had a dark maroon suitcase with him. The young royals stood, waiting for their father to tell them anything he needed to before they departed for the surface.

"Children," Markarov called the attention of his children, "I have to let you know about some precautions to tell you." He took a long, deep breath to calm his nerves. "First, I must insist that you do _not_ mention Fiore among the humans. They do not know of our existence, and I don't wish for them to gain knowledge of it now or ever. Next, if someone **is** to ask you where you are from, tell them that you're from a country across the ocean, but do not specify. Also, once you are ready to go, swim up to the surface, and as soon as you break through the surface of the water, you will loose your tail and gain legs. You will also be dressed in human clothes. However, they will not get wet even though you are still in the water. Once you reach the beach, you will have exactly 24 hours on land. Before it gets to that 24 hour mark, you must get to the beach. As soon as you get a decent distance out into the ocean, your human legs will disappear, and your tail will come back. Fail to get to the beach in time, your legs will disappear anyway, but you may die soon after. Your tails aren't meant to see human land, so they may react terribly, and it might kill you."

The five teenagers' faces were all pale with fear. They knew that they were going to plan on being back in the water early because they weren't planning on dying anytime soon. They were suddenly very scared for their self proclaimed adventure. Then, they remembered how fun it would be seeing all the humans and seeing their culture, and they were suddenly elated once again, fear just about behind them now.

Markarov looked at his children, still worried. He knew they were smart, but he was still nervous about their well-being. He said his goodbyes to them as they swam away, and they waved to him as they swam upwards._ I just hope they'll be safe._ he thought.

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Gajeel's POV

_Ugh_, I thought, _that meeting was just as boring as the last. Maybe even worse._ I had just left my third meeting today. I hate those damn things. They are pointless and annoying as hell. I just want to sleep or beat the shit out of those damn know-it-alls.

We were walking in the front courtyard of the castle grounds. I waved to my siblings, gaining their attention. "I'm going for a stroll in town." I told them.

"I want to go around town too." Natsu agreed. After our two comments, it seemed as if all four of them, including Natsu, were planning on going down into town along with me. _Great_, I thought, drawing out the word with sarcasm.

I walked down the paved road from the castle to town with my hands in my pockets. I ignored my siblings since Gray and Natsu were bickering as usual with Elfman cheering them both on while using _man_ in just about every sentence, and Mira was giggling because she thought it was cute. I was so damn aggravating.

As soon as we got down to the town, I wanted to go my separate ways from them. It seemed that none of them planned on staying together because when I turned to let them know I was going off on my own, they were all walking away from each other in different directions.

I turned back around, starting my stroll. None of the villagers greeted me, knowing when I wanted to be friendly, which was rare, and when I wanted to be left alone. Now was one of the times I wanted people to leave me the hell alone.

As I walked along the pebble-stone road, I noticed something odd. I saw a quick flash of bright blue. No one in Magnolia or the entire world had bright colorful hair like that besides royals, and even then it was rare. I followed the color, and I ended up in front of the town library. The color stopped long enough for me to see this person. It was a small, petite young woman who I did not recognize. I did not know her from among the towns people or the royals I had met over the years. She had medium length cerulean locks that hung to about her mid-back, a silver headband holding back her hair. Her eyes were a hazel, filled with happiness and innocence. She wore a simple bright orange sundress, ties wrapped around her neck. What was odd was that this small girl didn't have anything covering her feet. Strange.

She walked into the building, seeming to be excited about it. That was strange... Usually royals don't enjoy reading. We do read, but we usually don't like it since we are forced to during most of our childhood. I walked into the library for the first time and saw her scanning the shelves, looking very happy and blissful. She seemed to have found a book of interest to her. She grabbed it and sat down at one of the tables in the middle of the large room. She opened the bag that she had with her and pulled out glasses.

She looked into the book, and as she began to read, her feet began to swing back and forth underneath her chair. She was cute and tiny. She seemed very lovable. She looked like a kind person who loved everyone, might even love a bastard like me. Wait...did I really just think that?

I looked away, feeling like I was stalking her. **(Oh no, Gajeel! Juvia's rubbing off on you xD)** She was adorable. I found myself wondering how old she was. She looked young but didn't look _that_ young at the same time. I decided to leave since people were probably staring at me, hoping I wasn't going to hurt that girl. I walked out of the library and continued my stroll. I found that I couldn't get her off my mind as I walked around...

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Natsu's POV

I had just parted from Mira, Gray, and Elfman. Gajeel seemed to be pretty pissed that I wanted to come to town too. It's not my fault that I love this town. I used to run around as a kid, yelling and screaming, playing with the local children. I walked around and greeted some people, especially some of the town vendors. Some of them made their food fresh at their stands, so they would set my food on fire just for me. It was amazing!

I was shoving food in my mouth since I probably hadn't eaten anything for most of the day because of all those stupid meetings. I sighed heavily and sullenly just thinking about it. As I went up to one of my favorite stands to order some of the best fire chicken I've ever tasted, I saw this girl standing in front of the stand. She seemed to be nervous with all these people and unsure of what to do at this kind of thing.

"Are you okay, miss?" I asked her. She jumped when I spoke. Her blonde hair hung around her face, framing it nicely. She had dark chestnut brown eyes, glowing with intelligence and creativity but also fear and confusion. She wore a simple pink strapless dress with a single white strip at the very top of the dress. What was strange was that this woman wasn't wearing any shoes. It was odd.

"I'm fine. I just don't know what that is." she responded as she pointed to the freshly cooked chicken hanging on the front of the vendor.

"You don't know what a chicken is?" I asked her, surprise giving way in my tone.

She shook her head and looked embarrassed. It seemed that she had never been faced with a situation like this, and that she was unfamiliar with a lot of things around the town square. "Are you not from around here?" I asked her, softly.

She again shook her head, not seeming to want to speak anymore. She seemed very shy and unsure about what was going on. I felt sadness, seeing as though she might not speak in front of me again for now. Her voice was beautiful and reminded me of bells ringing on a wedding day. Beautiful.

"I have to go find my siblings." she finally spoke again after having a few minutes of silence between us. She was so beautiful. I just needed her name. Just her name, and I would be content. As she turned to leave, I grabbed her arm.

"May I at least know your name, fair maiden?" I asked her, respectfully.

Her cheeks flushed with color as she turned back to look at me. She was probably not used to being called something so polite or kind. "M-my name is L-Lucy." she told me. Lucy. Simple yet beautiful.

"Lucy," I spoke, trying it on my tongue. It was wonderful. "I shall find you again some day, and maybe I can show you some customs of this kingdom."

Lucy politely nodded her head to me, and I let go of her arm. When I let go, she started to walk away, and I watched as this mysterious beauty, Lucy, walked away.

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**A/N: Surprise! I literally ****_just_**** finished this. I'm so glad this is going so smoothly ^^ Also, for later chapters, thank you to my friend, Sierra, for helping me find my villain(s) (: Hope you all enjoyed it, and the next chapter will come out either tomorrow or the day after. Bye**


	4. In Town Part 2

Mira's POV

I giggled thinking about my crazy brothers. They were so crazy, but I loved them anyway. I walked through the village, saying hello to everyone who greeted me. The people of this town were so friendly and loving. It made me feel so wonderful to be able to see them and be one of their rulers, but I didn't see it that way. We were all on the same level. We were all even.

I was looking around for something to do. There were mostly food stands down in town, which Natsu loves. I giggled again. Man, could he eat a bunch. In one sitting, he could eat enough food that could have fed six people for a whole day. He also basically sucked it all down like a vacuum.

I continued walking and saw that someone was sitting on a stool and playing the guitar. I kindly went up to the man and asked if I could play. He bowed to me, showing he knew my stature, and handed me the guitar. I sat down on the stool and started to play a melody that my mother had taught me when I was a little girl. It was one of my favorites. Then, I remembered that the song she had taught me had lyrics. I started to sing the words, and people started to crowd around me. They looked in wonder at me, singing for them. I heard them mumble things like _beautiful_,_ amazing_, and _angelic_. If only they knew the emotion and history behind this song.

When I finished, the people around me applauded. I stood, bowed, and gave the kind man his guitar back. I walked away, and a man I did not know tried to flirt with me. He either didn't know who I was, was drunk, or both since he kept trying to touch my breasts and kept trying to kiss my cheek or lips. I instantly kept trying to push him away but to no finally got frustrated and grabbed both of my arms to keep me from getting away and pulled me off to the side where not many people could see us. I panicked. I had never been in a situation like this before. I was frightened beyond belief.

"Help!" I called out. No one could hear because of all the chatter and noise that was going through the square at the moment. "HELP!" I called louder, hoping someone could help me. He seemed to have something that was blocking my magic. I couldn't tranform into one of my more powerful forms, and it scared me that I couldn't defend myself.

All of a sudden, I heard a strange noise. I couldn't really identify what it was, so I opened my eyes which I hadn't realized that I had shut in the first place. The sound had apparently been a new man punching the man holding me hostage in the face. The new man looked at me for a moment, seeming to be checking that I was okay, and looked back at the other man. The man on the ground looked scared now, nervous about what the new man would do to him.

All the man did was glare at him, and the drunkard ran away, scared for his life. This man looked back at me. I finally got a good look at him. He had long, green hair that was tied back loosely at the back of his head. His dark blue eyes calmed me, reassuring me that I was safe now. He wore a simple white long sleeved polo shirt along with simple khaki slacks, but he oddly wasn't wearing any shoes.

"Are you alright?" he asked me. His voice sounded so soft and sweet. It made me feel warm and safe, like nothing could hurt me.

"I'm fine thanks to you." I responded. After I had given him my response, his face turned up in a smile.

"I'm glad."

"Who are you?" I asked him after a short period of silence. "I've never seen you around here."

He seemed to stiffen up for a moment but decided to calm down after a moment. "My name is Fried."

"That's an unusual name. Very interesting. My name is Mirajane or Mira for short." I held out my hand for him to shake which he quickly took and shook. He seemed to be a very nice person.

"Oh, I forgot." Fried suddenly said. "I told my sisters that I would meet up with them soon."

I suddenly felt kind of sad. "Oh okay. Will I see you again?"

He started to walk away but replied, "I don't know. I'm sorry."

He left, and I was suddenly sad that I hadn't gotten to spend more time with this mysterious man, Fried.

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**A/N: Sorry that it's so short and late... GOMEN! ;A; I hope you can forgive me! I wish you liked it anyway. I promise the next one will have Everman and Gruvia! It will probably be out either this weekend or Monday at the latest. Thank you for your patience.**


	5. In Town Part 3

**A/N: Hey! I'm sorry that I haven't updated in a while ^^; I've been kind of busy, but hey. I didn't come here to talk about me. Here's the new chapter :) Enjoy!**

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Gray had broken away from his siblings before he started a fight with Natsu. He and his brother had their disagreements, and they could be over something extremely ridiculous. It didn't matter to them because they just wanted to fight. It was never _that_ serious. They would just mess around and be boys. It also helped them keep their magic under control, letting it out against each other. Gray grinned just at the thought.

Gray walked through the streets of Magnolia, pondering what his father had told him. He had to set an example to the people that not all of their younger royals were crazy. Gray's heart had iced over since he was a young child. He was not a natural born prince of the kingdom of Magnolia. King Igneel took him in as one of his own after he found Gray alone in the middle of nowhere when Gray was young. Gray had been wandering for days, ever since his mother, Ur, had died to save him from the attack of a wild bear. Gray felt guilt in his heart everyday for it. He felt as if it was his fault. Ur was a queen, but she ruled over one of the smaller kingdoms, so not many people knew about their kingdom.

Gray shook the memories out of his head, trying to think positively while he was out and about among the townspeople. He kept his hands in his pants pockets, keeping a calm expression. He didn't need the townspeople thinking anything strange about him or his siblings.

He came across his favorite fountain in the whole town. Now, you may think, 'That's so weird,' and 'Why does Gray have a favorite fountain of all things?' It was his favorite since it just made him think of Ur. It reminded him of how gentle she could be. When the fountain froze over in the winter, it showed him how cold and restricting she could be. He adored his mother, but she didn't get to live a long life.

He sat down on the edge of the fountain, running his fingers through the water, freezing pieces with his magic every so often. It always calmed him. It made him feel connected to Ur. He felt as if she was still there with him. Gray turned his head just the slightest to the left and saw a woman sitting on the edge of the fountain, doing the same thing as him. She looked so peaceful. Her wavy locks of azure hair slightly blew behind her when the breeze came through, uncovering her light blue eyes that shined with great happiness. She wore a simple aqua dress that went halfway down her calves with black puffy sleeves, yet the woman wore nothing on her feet. The woman gave off an aura of gentleness and kindness that just captured Gray's attention.

She turned her face slightly, just as he had done and saw the prince looking at her. Her face of happiness quickly switched to a cold, dark look. The prince wondered how such a peaceful looking person came about coming on so beautiful and loving, but under the eyes of others, she was cruel and dark.

"Excuse me, miss," Gray called out to her. She simply ignored him, running her fingers under the water again. "Are you alright?" he continued after a moment.

"I'm fine," she responded after waiting a moment after Gray had spoken, looking up at Gray. Her look was hateful, but he just couldn't help but feel entranced by it.

"I'm glad. You looked a bit startled a moment ago." Gray continued, chuckling afterwards while trying to keep a conversation with this woman.

"I didn't know that anyone liked this fountain. It seems old and forgotten. This water just reminds me of home." the woman's face cracked into a tiny smile that Gray just loved. It made her face glow.

"What is your name, fair maiden?" the prince asked, wanting to know her name desperately. Gray stood for just a moment, so he could sit back down closer to this foreign woman.

"I am Princess Juvia," she replied, saying her name very formally.

"Where do you-"

"Tell me yours now, great sire." Juvia asked, interrupting Gray's next question.

"I am Gray, a prince of Magnolia," he answered, standing up to bow for the princess. Juvia was touched and gained a slight blush upon her face. He was so handsome and kind. She could look at him all day.

"Now," Gray continued, breaking Juvia out of her trance, "where is your kingdom if I may ask."

"Umm," Juvia started. She had to stop herself for a moment, for she almost said Fiore. She began again, "I -I am from a beautiful island across the ocean. No one knows of my kingdom except for its inhabitants."

Gray was about to question Juvia, when the clock in the town square rang. The princess seemed startled for a moment but suddenly stood up.

"What's wrong, Juvia?"

"J-Juvia must go, Gray-sama." she responded, startling the prince with the sudden use of third person speech and the use of "-sama".

Juvia stood up and started to walk away. "Where are you going, Juvia?" Gray called out to her.

Juvia turned for a brief moment, a look of great sadness across her face. It pained Gray to see that horrid expression on her face. He hardly knew this woman, yet he felt compelled to console her. They just made a connection, a connection Gray had never felt before. It made him curious about this woman he had met not long ago. It made him want to get to know her. Juvia turned back around and called out to Gray, "Juvia is meeting up with her siblings. Juvia hopes that we will see each other again, Gray-sama." Juvia let a single tear slip from her eye as it fell, plummeting towards the rough cobblestone below her cold, bare feet.

All Gray could do at this point was watch Juvia walk away...

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Elfman was grumbling to himself. He, himself, was such a man, but why couldn't Gray and Natsu be men too. If they were real men, they would've fought each other earlier. However, they just blew it off as if it were nothing. It was strange for them to let it go since they fought constantly. It's what made them men according to Elfman. Heck, even Mira was manly in Elfman's eyes.

All Elfman wanted to do at the present moment was to go to his "secret" place. He had loved to bake his whole life. It had been a joy to him. However, it was an unmanly activity. He didn't want the townspeople or even his siblings to know that he baked when he came into the town.

Elfman greeted the baker with a slight wave of his hand. He continued walking towards the back, preparing for an afternoon of baking. He just loved the art of making food. It reminded him of his late mother. She would smile when Elfman would ask about what she was making and what she was putting in to make it. It just intrigued the young boy. His mother, Grandeeney, had been the only one to know of his "secret" hobby.

Elfman snapped back to the present when he heard a bell ring from the front, signaling that there was a customer. He heard the person getting somewhat upset since there apparently wasn't anyone at the front counter. Elfman peered out into the front, making sure the person wouldn't see him. The baker wasn't in the front, but there was a woman there. It was a woman he had never seen before. Elfman felt like it was safe to approach her, so he walked up towards the front.

The woman had a decent length of chocolate brown hair pulled up into a tight bun with chopsticks going through it, making an 'X' shape. Her dark brown eyes were hidden behind a nice pair of spectacles, giving her a small air of mystery. Her dress was also fancy looking, green with a corset designed in the middle, the sleeves long, and no material covering up her shoulders or neck. The dress managed to cover her legs, going almost all the way down to her ankles, yet she was bare foot. It was strange...

"Can I help you, madam?" Elfman asked the young woman. She turned her sight towards him, making Elfman feel a little self conscious. She was a pretty woman, so Elfman felt a little shy. _No!_ he thought to himself, _Being shy isn't manly!_ Elfman attempted to shake off his shyness while he was in front of this woman.

"Well, I wanted to get some food, but I don't recognize anything in here." she stated, looking around with a confused look on her face, ultimately confusing Elfman. Who had never seen bread or baked goods before?

"I can let you try some things, see if you like them. I'll just pay for anything you don't like." he offered towards the lovely woman. It shocked her.

"No," she responded, not speaking again for a moment, "I can't let you do that. That's rude to ask so much of you."

"Well, the baker wouldn't mind. I **am** a prince of this kingdom after all." Elfman told her nonchalantly.

The woman gaped, running him up and down with her eyes. He didn't seem like the princely type. All Elfman wore was decently nice slacks and a white t-shirt, showing off his muscles. His white hair was spiked up in all different directions, and he had this somewhat alluring scar under his right eye with his eyes being a medium shade of blue. She flushed lightly, noticing how handsome this man looked.

"I'm royalty as well," the lady added, "I am a princess in my kingdom."

"May I ask your name, fair lady?" Elfman asked her.

"I am Princess Evergreen." Evergreen told him.

"That's a nice name for a lovely woman like yourself." Elfman responded, complimenting the woman and saying woman clearly for the first time in his life. Elfman complimenting Evergreen resulted in her cheeks darkening.

"About the...bread, is it?" she asked him, uncertainly.

"Yes, and what about it?" Elfman asked Evergreen.

"Can I try some?" Evergreen asked of him.

"Absolutely," he responded, a grin wide across his face, " I can let you try anything you want."

They spent some time together with Elfman making some baked goods and Evergreen watching from the side, seeing the process of making this food that was so foreign to her. Elfman had just finished some things when the clock tower chimed, signaling the hour.

"Oh, shit!" cursed the princess. Elfman looked at her in shock for a moment in hearing this beautiful woman curse but let a grin spread across his face again. This woman was just filled with surprises.

"What's wrong, Ever?" Elfman asked her.

"First, don't call me that," she ordered, pointing a finger in his face, "Second, I have to go meet up with my sisters and brother. Thank you so much for the food." Evergreen said this as she set down money to pay for the food. Where she got it, she didn't know. Evergreen scooped up the food and went on her way, waving to the man she had come to know in the time they had just spent together. Elfman was left mumbling 'Bye,' to himself, alone in the shop.


End file.
